Ferrari’s latest power-unit upgrade, Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty, McLaren’s new H-Wing and extreme heat are among the biggest storylines to follow when the 2026 Italian Grand Prix weekend begins at Monza.
Formula 1 returns to the Temple of Speed on Friday morning, with first practice for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix beginning at 11:30am UK time. By then, the talking stops and the first meaningful clues about the Monza competitive order begin to emerge.
There is already plenty to watch. Ferrari has brought another power-unit development for its home race, championship leader Kimi Antonelli knows he is heading towards the back of the grid, Lando Norris arrives chasing a third consecutive victory and the FIA has declared a Heat Hazard for the weekend. For the broader race-week picture, our Italian Grand Prix race-week preview sets out the championship context, while our Monza cornerstone preview covers the circuit and event in greater depth.
1. Ferrari’s new engine gets its first real test
Ferrari arrives at Monza with one of the most important technical developments of its season. The team is introducing another power-unit update under the 2026 ADUO development allowance, following its earlier step in Austria, alongside circuit-specific aerodynamic changes for the low-downforce demands of Monza.
Charles Leclerc says the new engine should provide more power, while Lewis Hamilton has spoken confidently about Ferrari’s ability to fight for victory if the weekend comes together. That optimism matters because Monza exposes straight-line efficiency more brutally than almost anywhere else on the calendar. Leclerc has also acknowledged that this remains an area where Ferrari has been weaker than some rivals.
We have already examined Ferrari’s second 2026 power-unit upgrade in detail. FP1 is where the first useful evidence arrives: speed traps, long-run deployment and how much confidence the drivers have carrying low wing levels through the braking zones.
Formula 1’s official pre-event coverage confirms Ferrari’s latest engine step and Leclerc’s expectation of more performance at Monza.
2. Antonelli can treat Friday differently
Kimi Antonelli starts his home weekend from an unusual position. The Mercedes driver leads the World Championship by 59 points, yet a planned engine change means he is set to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid.
That changes the purpose of Friday practice. Antonelli has already said the penalty gives Mercedes the opportunity to try a different working method in practice, and the team has discussed the possibility of using him to help George Russell with a tow during qualifying if required.
Our earlier report explained why Mercedes has chosen Monza for Antonelli’s grid penalty. Friday should show whether the team prioritises race preparation, overtaking performance and long-run energy deployment over the conventional pursuit of a perfect qualifying set-up.
Antonelli told F1.com that he sees the weekend as an opportunity to experiment, while still believing a strong recovery on Sunday is possible.
3. McLaren brings momentum — and a new H-Wing
Lando Norris arrives at Monza with more momentum than any other driver. Victories in Hungary and the Netherlands have made him the first non-Mercedes driver to win consecutive Grands Prix in 2026, and a third straight victory would underline how much McLaren’s competitive position has changed through the summer.
Monza will also be the first race outing for McLaren’s rotating rear-wing concept known as the H-Wing. The team is bringing a new low-drag rear-wing specification and minor aerodynamic updates, with Friday practice used to decide the final configuration for qualifying.
There is another McLaren question to answer too. Oscar Piastri has admitted that he and the team are still trying to understand why his recent pace has not matched Norris consistently. At Zandvoort, the difference was especially visible over the race distance. FP1 gives McLaren its first opportunity to test possible solutions on a circuit with a very different balance profile.
McLaren’s Monza technical preview makes clear that energy harvesting, deployment and drag reduction will all be central to the team’s Friday programme.
4. Lawson gets a proper Red Bull practice programme
Liam Lawson will again drive for Red Bull as Isack Hadjar continues his recovery from a wrist injury. The crucial difference from Zandvoort is that Monza is a conventional Grand Prix weekend, giving Lawson three practice sessions rather than the compressed timetable he faced last time out.
Lawson finished seventh in the Netherlands despite stepping into the RB22 at short notice. This time he has at least one race weekend of experience with the car, although his preparation remained complicated because confirmation that he would drive for Red Bull did not arrive until Wednesday.
He has described the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars as very different to drive, particularly in the way the RB22 produces high-speed grip. Monza’s combination of low drag, heavy braking and fast direction changes should therefore provide another useful measure of how quickly Lawson can adapt.
We covered Hadjar’s absence and Lawson’s return to Red Bull earlier this week. Lawson has since explained that switching his simulator preparation between both teams was the biggest challenge before Monza.
5. Extreme heat could influence tyres and cooling from FP1
The FIA has formally declared a Heat Hazard for the Italian Grand Prix, making the conditions more than a background weather story.
Friday is forecast to reach around 34°C, with track temperatures potentially climbing to roughly 56°C. Under the Heat Hazard regulations, every car must carry the required Driver Cooling System components, while drivers can choose whether to wear the associated cooling vest.
The heat also matters for tyres. Pirelli has selected the C3, C4 and C5 compounds — the three softest tyres in its 2026 range — and expects the rear axle to face significant demands during traction phases. High track temperatures could therefore influence long-run pace and the amount of useful tyre data teams can collect during the afternoon.
Formula 1’s latest forecast expects a hot and dry Friday, while Pirelli’s official preview sets out the tyre and energy-management challenge.
6. Monza could expose the biggest 2026 energy-management differences yet
Monza has always been about efficiency, but the 2026 power-unit rules add another layer. The long straights mean teams must carefully balance harvesting and deploying electrical energy while still protecting straight-line speed and overtaking performance.
Pirelli says team simulations point towards lap times around two seconds faster than last year. At the same time, McLaren has highlighted the possibility of different harvesting and deployment strategies producing a ‘yo-yo’ effect, where cars gain and lose relative advantage at different points around the lap.
That makes Friday particularly valuable. The headline lap times will attract attention, but speed-trap figures, deployment behaviour and long-run consistency may tell us more about which cars are genuinely suited to Monza under the new regulations.
Also worth watching in FP1
Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron will take part in first practice, giving him another 2026 FP1 outing. With the leading teams focused on circuit-specific packages and race preparation, Friday morning should contain considerably more than the usual installation laps and baseline running.
Italian Grand Prix 2026 Friday UK times
| Session | UK time |
|---|---|
| Practice 1 — Friday 4 September | 11:30am |
| Practice 2 — Friday 4 September | 3:00pm |
Tech Torque Verdict
The first Italian Grand Prix practice session should be unusually revealing. Ferrari needs evidence that its latest engine development can narrow the straight-line gap, Mercedes can use Antonelli’s penalty to change the way it approaches the weekend, and McLaren has both new hardware and recent winning form to validate.
Add Lawson’s second Red Bull weekend, extreme heat and the unusual energy demands of the 2026 cars, and FP1 becomes much more than a warm-up. The stopwatch will matter, but the most important clues may come from how each team chooses to prepare for the rest of the weekend.
